Caught Up In You
by kclaura2003
Summary: Daryl thinks Andrea would never be interested in him and that he can't compete with Shane. Andrea wants to get closer to Daryl but she thinks he likes Carol. Will they find out their true feelings for each other? Set in Season Two. Andrea/Daryl. Rated T for some language and some sexual content.
1. Cherokee Rose

**Hi there! Thanks for checking out my story. :) **

**This is an Andrea/Daryl pairing. Takes places in season 2 after Sophia's death. It will be slightly AU, it won't follow the TV show exactly. I'm really not sure where I'm going with this. Let me know if I should continue or if I should rewrite it. Feedback is much appreciated! **

**I do not own The Walking Dead. **

Chapter One: Cherokee Rose

She watched him sitting there on the dock dangling his feet in the water.

Looking out at Daryl sitting there, hearing the water slowly streaming and the cicadas chirping loudly made Andrea's mind wander to that day she was fishing with Amy back at the quarry.

She smiled as she remembered sitting with her younger sister in the canoe talking about how their father taught them how to fish. Then came the memories of the dead appearing out of nowhere in the middle of the night, taking everybody by surprise, and the chaos that ensued. They lost many that night including Amy.

Andrea shook the bad memory from her mind despite she knew she would never forget it. She returned her mind and focus back on Daryl still sitting on the dock's edge. She wondered if he was thinking about his missing brother, Merle, but when Daryl abruptly stood, reached down and picked up his boots with one hand and began to walk back toward camp, Andrea watched him pause by a white flower. A Cherokee rose, the state flower of Georgia.

Andrea had seen the empty beer bottle Carol kept in Dale's RV. It had a Cherokee rose blossom in it and Andrea figured Daryl must have given it to the older woman for some comfort.

She watched him now: he was looking down at the flower with a mix of sadness and disappointment on his rugged, yet handsome face. Daryl had spent more time than anybody else looking for Sophia. When she had walked out of the barn, turned, everybody died a little inside. It was like some cold, cruel, sick joke God was playing. One miracle had happened: Carl survived his gunshot wound but now Sophia was dead and had been for a long time.

They held a service for her that morning despite Carol's absence. Andrea saw Daryl take off, in a huff, and wanted to go after him but she promised she'd help Shane and T-Dog with the rest of the walkers' bodies.

Now, Andrea saw Daryl reach up and touch the Cherokee rose. For a second, she thought he was going to pick it but instead he only cursed and slapped the flower so hard it broke off its stem. He was breathing heavily, getting worked up inside, and he glared at the fallen blossom for a moment. Then he stomped on it repeatedly, cursing:

"Goddamn it! Son of a bitch!"

Andrea felt a sob escape her throat. Finding Sophia the way they did was like another kick in the stomach as if the whole group hadn't been kicked around enough. She felt anger, bitterness, frustration, and sadness but she didn't have the time to let it out.

Daryl looked up then and spotted Andrea there. He wiped the sweat and grime off his face and only stared back at her.

"Why don'tcha take a picture?!" Daryl called out at her. "It will last longer!"

Andrea sighed and approached the dock but kept a good distance away from Daryl. He was kind of like a stray animal, don't get to close or it will feel threatened and attack. Treat it nice, give it some space and it will learn to trust you and come closer.

"How you doing?" Andrea asked.

Daryl scoffed. "What's it look like, Blondie? I'm livin' the dream can't ya see?"

Andrea rolled her eyes at his sarcasm. "Yeah, aren't we all?" She replied, stoic.

"Listen," Andrea began. "I just came to check on you…See if you're alright."

Daryl looked her over suspiciously. "What, did Carol send you out here?"

Andrea shook her head no. "She's still in the RV. She's pretty torn up."

"You know for a woman that supposedly cared so much about her daughter she sure didn't do a lick of good trying to find her." Daryl spat, angrily.

Andrea's mouth dropped open aghast at Daryl's blunt insensitivity but in a way he was right. Carol loved Sophia, no doubt, but she did stand by and let everybody else, especially Daryl, do all the dirty work, now all of it done in vain, to find the missing child.

"Now Carol's coming 'round me all the damn time…" Daryl was saying now. "She wants to get me to _open up _or whatever…" Daryl scoffed and rolled his eyes as if the possibly of anybody ever wanting to talk about their feelings was utterly ridiculous.

"Daryl," Andrea said, softly, "We all wanted to find Sophia…alive and well. And we did our best."

Daryl shot Andrea an angry glare and she cleared her throat and corrected herself.

"_You_ did your best, Daryl." Andrea confirmed. "_You_ went above and beyond. And I'm sure Carol is truly thankful for everything you did."

"I spoke to her this morning." Daryl said. "She didn't even go to her girl's funeral, Andrea!" His blue eyes flashed with resentment.

"I told her: 'That's your little girl' and she said: 'No, that was not my little girl…My Sophia died a long time ago.'…old broad is glad her daughter's dead…that's what she's thankful for!"

"Yeah well," Andrea said, starting to get worked up and putting her hands on her hips. "Maybe Carol is thankful Sophia is dead. Maybe she's thankful her daughter is a better place now and not here in this world gone to shit."

Daryl began walking toward Andrea then, a fast, no-nonsense stride. His chest was puffed out, his arm muscles flexing, his jaw clenched. Andrea stood her ground, the man could be intimidating but usually his bark was worse than his bite. She wasn't afraid of him.

She expected him to get in her face and start yelling. However to Andrea's surprise, Daryl bypassed her with only a glare.

"This is just one feel good group, aint it?" He bitterly commented.

Andrea opened her mouth to say something but didn't know what to say.

She watched Daryl angrily stride away.

"Do me a favor will ya?" He called over his shoulder. "Tell everybody I ain't their redneck bitch and I ain't stickin' my neck out no more for any of you people! And tell Carol to back the hell away from me! Same goes for you too, Blondie!"

Andrea shook her head at Daryl's retreating back. She sighed and looked out over the water. Her heart felt like a ten pound sledgehammer in her chest.

There was too much tension in the air. Hershel and his family were clearly upset after the massacre of the walkers in the barn; former Greene family members and friends. The farmer made it clear he wanted the survivors from Atlanta off his property as soon as possible. Shane was growing increasingly difficult day-by-day and him and Rick were always at odds with each other.

Andrea began to walk back towards the tents but paused when she caught a glimpse at the Cherokee rose Daryl had stomped on. It was wrinkled and a bit dirty but surprisingly still in fair condition. Andrea bent over, picked it up and held it in between her fingertips.

He's just blowing off steam right now.

Andrea thought about Daryl. _He's in dire need of a friend and he's got one right here in front of him if he'd just open his eyes…_


	2. Restless Night

Chapter Two: Restless Night

It was too damn hot to sleep.

Andrea tossed and turned in her sleeping bag inside her tent but no matter how hard she tried she could not fall asleep. Finally she gave up, wiped the sweat off her brow, got up and walked out into the sultry night air.

It was pitch black dark out there on Hershel's land, save for a few lights on inside the Greene's house and a few kerosene lamps dimly lit to give the group some light.

Andrea listened to the incessant chirping of the cicadas, a hoot of an owl, and low murmurs of a pair of voices. She turned to glance where the voices where coming from and spotted Glenn and Maggie on the wrap around porch, no doubt engaged in some young lovers' talk. She caught their eyes and waved to them, to which they both smiled and waved back, albeit briefly, and returned their attention back to each other. Andrea would have gone over to talk with them but figured she'd just leave the young couple alone.

Andrea walked out a ways down toward the wooden fence post. She leaned on it, not really sure what she was doing, all she knew was it was hot and she couldn't sleep.

Suddenly, someone or _something_ poked her on both sides of her waist from behind causing her to practically jump out of her skin. She quickly drew her pistol and turned around only to find herself pointing her weapon at smugly smiling Shane.

He held up his hands in mock surrender and was chuckling softly.

"You son of a bitch!" Andrea exclaimed as she punched his chest as hard as she could yet Shane was built like a brick wall.

Andrea let out a sigh of relief and shot the former policeman an annoyed glare.

"Don't you ever do that again, Shane…I almost blew your head off."

Shane only laughed. "I'm sorry, Andrea…I just couldn't help myself…it was too tempting." He smiled and then added:

"Good job on your draw though," referring to how fast Andrea reacted. "That's good…That's what I like to see…Stay sharp, stay focused." Andrea smiled. She found it amusing how Shane always tended to talk like he was a football coach giving the team a pep talk.

Andrea returned her gun to her holster. "What are you doing out here?"

"I came to ask the same of you." Shane drawled. "I was on watch. Saw you walk down this way…figured you might want some company."

Andrea shrugged. "Yeah, why not? I was burning up in my tent and couldn't sleep anyway."

Shane's face fell serious and his voice lowered when he spoke again:

"You OK?"

Andrea knew he was referring to the day's events.

"Yeah," She answered. "I'm OK."

The truth was she was still heavy hearted after everything that had happened and her conversation with Daryl on the dock still weighed upon her mind.

"Hey," Shane said softly. "I wanted to ask you…Remember what we talked about that day at the church? I wanted to know if you were still interested in cutting out with me?"

Andrea hesitated. "I…I don't know, Shane…Gosh, that feels like a million years ago now. At the time I was so frustrated…I felt so hopeless."

Andrea remembered how she almost stayed behind when the CDC was about to explode and then Dale made a big-to-do about "if you're staying, I'm staying". She felt like the old man had guilt tripped her into changing her mind when all she wanted was some peace. Some freedom away from the now godforsaken world. But lately, she had been secretly grateful Dale talked her out of it.

"What's keeping you here?" Shane asked Andrea now.

Andrea shrugged. "I don't know…I guess Dale -"

"Dale?!" Shane exclaimed. "Andrea, forget about that old man. He ain't your daddy."

Andrea scoffed. "Well, no, he isn't, Shane." She countered. "You're right; Dale is not my father, but he might as well be. He saved me and Amy…And I don't know…maybe I like it here. Maybe I've changed my mind. Maybe I want to stay."

"Andrea, baby, sweetheart…" Shane said, abruptly coming closer to her now, putting his hands on her shoulders. His breath reeked of liquor.

"C'mon, now…Don't be like this…We can work this out, honey."

Andrea felt a chill run up and down her spine. She didn't like the way Shane was looking at her now: like a cat ready to pounce on a mouse.

She pushed his hands off her shoulders. "I ain't your "honey", your "baby" or your "sweetheart", Shane."

Andrea took a step forward to walk away from him but Shane quickly grabbed a hold of her hand and aggressively pulled her close to his chest.

"That ain't what you said in the car the other day -" He slurred and she pushed him away again.

"That was one time, Shane." Andrea stated firmly. "It didn't mean anything."

"The hell it didn't," Shane countered as he took a step forward. Immediately, Andrea's hand went to her holster and she drew her gun on him. She knew he wasn't going to do anything to her but she figured this was the only way to get him to back off. She held her gun steady on him.

Shane only smirked, rolled his eyes at her bluff.

"Suit yourself, cowgirl." And with that he walked away.

Andrea watched Shane retreat and she returned her gun to her holster.

What the hell was that all about?!

She thought, confused. _He's drunk for sure…but what's with all his talk about leaving again? One minute he's all "I protect this camp!" and the next minute he's all "I'm leaving first chance I get". _

"You OK?" A voice said from behind Andrea. She turned and was shocked to find Daryl standing adjacent to her. She then realized there was a tree within an earshot of where she and Shane had been talking and Daryl had been there listening the entire time.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Andrea stammered. "Shane's just…well, you know him. He gets a little coo-coo sometimes."

Daryl didn't answer right away; only eyed Andrea up and down and for a second too long that made Andrea feel like guilty even though she knew she didn't do anything wrong.

"Olive Oyl must have gotten under his skin again," Daryl commented and Andrea wrinkled her brow in confusion. She was about to ask him who was "Olive Oyl" but he continued:

"It ain't my business but if I was you I wouldn't believe a word he tells you."

"What are you talking about?" Andrea asked, incredulous. "And who the hell is "Olive Oyl"?"

But he wasn't listening. Daryl had already began to walk away.

"Daryl, wait!" Andrea called out to him as she tried to catch up to him.

He abruptly stopped so unexpectedly that Andrea almost bumped into him.

"Never mind, Andrea." Daryl said. "Forget it. Good-night."

And with that he strode back to his tent leaving Andrea standing there wondering what the hell has gotten into all the men lately.


	3. Good Morning

Chapter Three: Good Morning

When he saw Shane coming on to her the way he did, Daryl wanted to jump out from behind the tree and knock the arrogant son of a bitch on his ass. He almost did, Bowie knife in hand, ready to get in there and cut Shane's throat, if need be. Daryl knew he himself was no prince charming to the ladies, in fact he could downright patronizing to women himself but never under any circumstances did he put his hands on a girl like that.

He stopped himself when he saw Andrea draw her gun on Shane and smiled with amusement at the whole scene. The chick knew how to take care of herself, that was for sure. Daryl was laying on his sleeping bag in his tent, the next morning, twisting a bolt in his hands, thinking about Andrea.

_What she doesn't know is that meathead don't give a shit about her. He's had it bad for Rick's woman for a long time now. What was with all that talk about them two leaving the group? Did she really think about running off with him? And did she really get it on with him?! Good lord, I thought she'd have more respect for herself than that…_

"Daryl?" A soft voice called from outside his tent.

"Come in," He replied.

The tent flap opened and Carol tentatively walked in. He gave the widow a curt nod and she responded with a weak smile. Daryl figured Carol must have been a looker back in the day; she had soft delicate features and big bright eyes - she was very girl-next-door looking. However, her years with Ed must have taken a toll on her: she now looked much older than she was, wrinkled and worn. Her face always expressed sadness or fear or both and Daryl wondered if Carol had always had that look, even before the outbreak occurred.

"Breakfast is ready," Carol said. "I scrambled some eggs; there's plenty to go around."

"Thanks," Daryl replied. "I'll be there in a minute."

"All right then," Carol said and she went to leave the tent but paused.

"Daryl?" Carol began. "I want to thank you…for everything. Everything you did to find Sophia."

Daryl bristled. He didn't feel like talking about this.

_Not now, not later…not ever again! _He thought bitterly but Carol went on:

"Yesterday, I was so upset. I couldn't bring myself to go to her burial. As a mother, you always think you're gonna be the one that goes first, naturally. You think your baby will bury you someday; not the other way around."

Carol's voice cracked then and Daryl knew she was on the verge of tears.

Daryl shifted uncomfortably on his sleeping bag. He hated it when women cried. It made him think of his mother crying when his father was around.

Carol crouched down and gently placed her hand on his knee. He immediately jumped at bit at her touch.

"It means a lot to me." She said. "Everything you did."

Daryl pretended he had to adjust himself so he could move his leg and Carol would take her hand off of his knee.

"Yeah well," He whispered. "I didn't do anything that anybody else wouldn't have done."

He gave her quick smile, trying to signal he was done with this conversation and in hopes that Carol would get the hint and leave.

"Oh, but you did." Carol said and once again put her hand on his knee. "You did more than anybody else did."

_Including yourself?! _He wanted to ask her but kept his mouth tightly shut.

Daryl decided to get up then. He slung his crossbow over his shoulder and made it look like he suddenly had a million things to do.

"Let's get to breakfast, Carol." Daryl said. "Don't want the eggs to get cold."

He opened the tent flap and stepped out into the warm morning air. He was about to take a few steps forward when Carol caught his hand.

"Don't run away from me, Daryl." She said.

"I ain't runnin'." He answered despite knowing what she meant.

She only smiled at him and to his surprise, Carol stood up on her tip toes and lightly pecked his cheek with a kiss. She gave his hand a quick squeeze and walked away.

Daryl stood there, a bit dumbfounded. He reached up and touched the spot where Carol had kissed him. It was the second time she had done that, the first time being right after Andrea accidentally mistook him for a walker coming out of the woods and shot him.

He watched Carol retreat thinking the woman was nice; she was the kindest person of the whole group but the truth was: he was not interested in her.

He was interested in somebody more independent, somebody more daring, somebody with more initiative.

"Good morning," a voice said to Daryl then and he turned to see Andrea slowly passing him by, a warm smile on her face, and then she was gone.


	4. Smile

**Thank you for all the reviews, favorites, and follows! :)**

Chapter Four: Smile

Andrea sat by the water's edge. She threw out her line on the fishing rod she was holding, watching the sinker plop into the water. Next to her was a cardboard box with the fish she already caught.

It had turned out to be an awful day. Beth, Hershel's youngest daughter, went into some sort of shock and had fainted in the kitchen. She was laid up in bed, talking about ending her life. Andrea, along with Lori, could overhear Maggie and Beth fighting all the way down in the kitchen. Then Andrea and Lori got into a heated argument not only over Beth's condition but also about the women's place in the camp.

When Andrea went in to check on Beth she told the fragile teenager: "The pain doesn't go away. You just make room for it."

Andrea never meant the young girl any harm. She didn't want Beth to hurt herself but felt like honesty was the best policy. Sometime after Andrea left the room, Beth locked herself in the bathroom, broke the glass on the mirror, and cut her wrist. Beth had changed her mind about suicide but Maggie was livid with Andrea.

"Don't you ever set foot inside this house again!" The older Greene girl scolded Andrea.

Now, Andrea felt terrible. She felt tears welling up in her eyelids but wiped them away with the back of her hand. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice the shadow of a person standing over her.

"Hey," Daryl said, nudging Andrea with his leg. "Hey, earth to Blondie!"

Andrea glimpsed up at Daryl and flashed him a weak smile.

"Hey," She said, solemnly and returned her attention back to the water.

Andrea's mind had been on what happened with Beth and Maggie and the argument with Lori, that Andrea forgot she had seen Carol outside Daryl's tent that morning. She had seen the widow kiss the hunter's cheek and she had felt a pang of jealousy in her stomach but had decided to blow it off. Now Daryl's presence made Andrea wonder again if something was really going on between him and Carol.

_And why do I care if there is? _Andrea thought.

Daryl had a string of freshly killed squirrels around his waist. He took them off as he sat down beside Andrea.

"Been out huntin'," Daryl said. "Saw you down here and figured I'd help you gut them fish; if you want any help."

Andrea smirked. "Yeah, because I screw up everything else I do."

Daryl looked at her quizzically. "What are you talking about?"

Andrea shook her head as she spoke:

"Do you ever feel like you've really done something right? Do you ever feel like what you just said or did was the right thing and you get this high from it, you know? You feel so proud of yourself; you pat yourself on the back. And then, come to find out - you've screwed up royally. What you did or what you said was completely wrong and you just made things worse."

Something tugged on the fishing line then and Andrea quickly reeled it in only to find the fish got away with her bait. She sighed as she baited and cast out the line again.

Daryl watched her for a moment and then asked:

"What's this all about?"

Andrea explained what was going with Beth, what she said to Beth, how Maggie blew up at her.

"Ouch," Daryl commented and Andrea nodded.

"They'll work it out," Daryl said. "I guess it's just best to stay out of family affairs like that."

"Too late for that now," Andrea quipped. "And then there's Lori. Right before the whole Beth thing, me and Lori were talking. She told me I don't pull my own weight around here. She thinks I don't contribute because I'm not Little Miss Suzy Homemaker!"

Daryl chuckled at that.

Andrea nodded and went on: "Yeah. I told Lori 'I help keep this place safe.' And she has the gall to stand there and tell me: 'You sit up there on that RV working on your tan with a shotgun in your lap.'"

Daryl laughed. "Are you serious? Olive Oyl said that to you?!"

Andrea nodded. "Yeah, and then…wait. Olive Oyl?"

She glanced over at Daryl who now had his legs stretched out and was leaning back on his arms.

"You call Lori Olive Oyl?" Andrea asked, puzzled but smiling.

Daryl smirked and cocked his head to one side.

"Yeah." He answered. "I don't know why. I guess because she's got dark hair and pale skin. I dunno…I thought it was a fittin' name. So what did you say?"

"Oh yeah, right." Andrea continued. "So that really set me off, you know. So I basically just told her off. I told her she acts like the queen bee and she takes all of her blessings for granted. Her husband and her son both came back from the dead, now there's a baby on the way. I told her to go tell Beth she can have it all, just like Lori Grimes does: a husband, a son, and a baby -"

"A boyfriend, too." Daryl quietly added and Andrea paused.

"A boyfriend?" Andrea asked, surprised. "Excuse me, but Lori has a _boyfriend_?"

Then she remembered Daryl's comment the other night after the Shane incident: _"Olive Oyl must have gotten under his skin again…"_

Andrea's mouth fell open. She was shocked at her own stupidity.

_Of course… _Andrea thought. _Shane and Lori…God, how could I've been so blind?! All those looks Shane gives Lori and the way he stares at Rick so crazily..._

"Yeah," Daryl said. "But since Rick is back, Lori don't want nuthin' to do with Shane no more. You can just tell it eats him up."

Andrea heard Daryl but she didn't respond.

_Oh my god…What if Lori's baby is really Shane's; not Rick's? Does Rick even know? He's a smart guy, of course he has to know…_

Andrea felt Daryl touch her shoulder then.

"Hey," He said softly. "I wanted to apologize for…uh, what I said to you the other day."

Andrea wrinkled her brow in confusion.

"What did you say?" She asked.

Daryl picked at his pants. "Oh, you know…When we were out here after Sophia died…I blew up at you and all."

Andrea waved him off. "Oh, yeah, that. Don't worry about it."

Andrea's fishing line tugged again and she reeled it in, this time another trout hanging by the hook. As she placed it in the box with the other fish Andrea said:

"I just feel like I can't do anything right no matter how hard I try. In between shooting you and giving Beth bad advice and the things Lori said…"

"Hey," Daryl interjected. "I know what you mean…what you said about how you think you're doing right but it turns out to be all wrong."

Andrea glanced over at Daryl. "You do?" She asked, surprised.

She knew the redneck had an attitude that put him at odds with the others but it seemed like most people in the group really valued him for his hunting and tracking skills.

"Sure," He answered, quietly. "I thought I was doing right…searching for Sophia. When I found her doll in the creek, it gave me such a high. I thought: I failed my brother but I'm not going to fail this little girl. But it turns out, Shane was right - all I did was find a doll. That and get thrown off a horse, fall into a creek, landed on one of my bolts - _boy, did that feel good!" _

Andrea couldn't help but chuckle at Daryl's sarcasm.

"When I tried to climb back up, I fell down again. It knocked me out," Daryl continued. "I started having these…visions of Merle."

He paused then and Andrea was watching him, listening intently.

"Aw, never mind!" Daryl cried and he went to stand up but Andrea grabbed his hand.

"No, wait, stop," She said. "I want hear it,"

"It's stupid…just forget I said anything about it-" Daryl said but Andrea insisted. He sighed and reluctantly sat back down and continued his story:

"So…yeah, I see Merle. He's right there in front of me. He looked so real…he starts mockin' me…asking me why I am out there looking for a little girl and not my own brother…tells me I outta shoot Rick in the face for cuffing him to that rooftop…tells me I'm nothing' but a freak to you people…calls me a joke…"

Andrea smirked. "Hey, he called me sugar tits and rug muncher so don't feel too bad."

Daryl shook his head. "That's my bro for ya." He paused and picked at the grass for a moment and then said:

"So, yeah. I know how it feels…to think you've done something right when really - you haven't done shit."

Andrea patted his shoulder.

"Daryl, you did do the right thing. You looked for a lost little girl. And it didn't turn out the way you hoped - the way _anybody_ hoped for - but don't kid yourself: you do this group a lot of good…a helluva lot more good than I have. Don't be so hard on yourself."

Daryl shot Andrea a sideways glance.

"The same could be said to you," He said. "Don't beat yourself up. You're important to us too, Andrea."

She flashed him a smile and to her surprise he returned it. Andrea then realized Daryl didn't smile very much. His "smile" usually consisted of one corner of his mouth slightly turned upward.

_He should smile more often._

Andrea thought, all the while hoping she would be the one who would continue to make Daryl smile.


	5. Squirrels and Stuff

**Thank you for the reviews! :) **

Chapter Five: Squirrels and Stuff

Andrea brought back the fish she caught and Daryl; his squirrels. They sat near Daryl's tent preparing the animals. Daryl watched Andrea taking the scales off the fish with such ease and expertise.

"Your dad teach ya all that?" Daryl asked, waving his Bowie knife toward the fish.

Andrea glanced up at him and grinned.

"Yeah," Andrea answered. "He taught me and Amy both. Although, Amy told me, back at the quarry, that Dad taught her different than the way he taught me."

"How far apart were you two?" Daryl asked.

"Twelve years," Andrea said and then her face slightly fell. "I remember the day we brought her home from the hospital. I was so proud, you know, to be the big sister."

She returned her attention back to the fish she was working on and seemed to tense up. Daryl shifted nervously and pulled the hide off a squirrel.

"I'm sorry," He whispered.

"For what?" Andrea asked, not looking up.

"For…ya know…bringing up Amy," Daryl said.

Andrea glanced up at him and flashed him a quick smile.

"It's OK," She said, and she sounded like she really meant it.

Daryl felt the corner of his mouth go up into that sort-of smile he had. He still couldn't believe he had actually smiled completely, teeth and all, to Andrea earlier. He still couldn't believe he told her all about his hallucination of Merle and his feelings of failure over losing Sophia.

She didn't laugh at me…

Daryl thought then as he picked up another squirrel to skin. _I never told anybody else what had really happened to me that day in the creek…just like I never told anybody else that story about me being lost in the woods as a kid…only to Andrea…I only tell my deepest thoughts to her, why? _

"So, did your dad teach you that?" Andrea asked Daryl now, indicating the squirrel he was skinning.

"Yeah," Daryl answered. "A little bit…some of it I learned from Merle. Most of it I taught myself…trial and error, ya know - that kind of thing."

He finished making the cuts in the squirrel and once again placed it on the ground, stepped on its bushy tail and pulled the skin off. Andrea watched, smiling, but her nose wrinkled up in disgust.

"Gosh, that looks just awful…" She said. "Poor little squirrel."

Daryl glanced up at her, smirking. "What?" He asked, tauntingly. "You got no problem guttin' slimy and scaly over there."

Andrea chuckled. "I know…I know." She said. "It just looks so vicious…the way you yank its fur off…I keep picturing myself as the squirrel crying out in pain as someone is ripping my skin off."

"Blondie, this squirrel ain't feelin' much of _anything_ anymore. I can tell ya that for sure!" Daryl said, grinning.

Andrea laughed and shook her head, running a hand through her blonde curls.

"Yeah, I guess he's been put out of his misery." She said of the squirrel. She reached over and picked up one and stroked its head.

"You're in squirrel heaven now aren't ya, little fellow?" She cooed to the dead animal. "Don't worry, I'm sure you lived a fulfilling life…as fulfilling as a squirrel's life can be."

Daryl shook his head and chuckled at Andrea. "Girl, you crazy." He said, but he couldn't help but be amused at her antics. Then an idea sprung into his mind.

"Hey, bring that here," He motioned to Andrea. She went over to him, holding the carcass by its tail, and held it out to him but Daryl didn't take it.

"Sit down right there, where I've been sittin'." Daryl said, standing up and pointing to the spot.

Andrea gave him a confused look. "What?" She asked. "What are we doing?"

"I'm gonna show ya how to skin a squirrel," Daryl said, pointing again to the ground.

"I don't wanna know how!" Andrea exclaimed and tried to give the squirrel back to Daryl but he put his hands on her shoulders, turned her around and made her sit down.

"C'mon now; this is good stuff to know," Daryl insisted. "Ya need to know how to do this…besides sittin' up on Dale's RV working on your tan with a shotgun."

Andrea turned around and shot him a playful dirty look for his reference to Lori's comment. She playfully jabbed him in the stomach in which he only laughed.

"OK, for real…" Daryl said, making Andrea look down at the squirrel. "Let's do this."

He gave her his hunting knife and leaned over her.

"Awlright now, here's what ya do. Lay 'em down flat on his belly…yep, just like that…lift up his tail…now take the knife and slice right underneath his tail, right above the tailbone…don't cut too deep now…don't cut off the tail 'cause ya gonna need that in a minute."

Daryl watched Andrea carefully slice into the squirrel. He noticed she was having some trouble so he reached over and twisted the squirrel by its tail and a cracking noise followed.

"Helps to break the tailbone," Daryl explained. "But like I said, keep the tail attached…Go on now, slice 'em a little more…OK, stop right there…That's good…OK, now take the knife and make cuts on each of his hind legs…ya wanna create a little flap…Right, just like that. Now, flip him over on his back. OK, you can either sit while doin' this or stand…you'd probably wanna stand up this time until ya get the hang of it…"

Daryl backed up as Andrea stood.

"Step on the tail," Daryl instructed. "Now reach down, grab a hold of his hind legs and pull up,"

Andrea pulled up on the squirrel and the hide gave away a little bit.

"That's good," Daryl said. "But keep on pulling…don't stop. Just peel the skin right off of there."

Andrea continued to pull until she had removed the front part of the squirrel's fur. She then did the same with the bottom part and was left with the bare carcass of the animal. She glanced up at Daryl and grinned.

"Wow, that was actually really easy," Andrea commented.

Daryl shrugged. "Nuthin' to it. Now, do me a favor and do the rest of 'em for me while I go take a siesta."

Andrea scoffed and she playfully smacked him with the squirrel's body. Daryl put up his arms and hands to block her but Andrea kept laughing and hitting him with the squirrel.

"You wanna boss me around some more, buddy?" Andrea laughed.

"Quit it!" Daryl exclaimed, although laughing as he kept playfully defending himself from Andrea's dead squirrel whip. "Hey, c'mon, 'Drea, that's our dinner…Don't tear it up!"

"What on earth is going on here?" A voice asked from behind Daryl. He turned to see Carol standing there watching him and Andrea curiously. He immediately pulled himself together but Andrea kept giggling.

"Hey Carol," Andrea said. "Daryl just taught me how to skin a squirrel. Wanna learn?" She held up the squirrel and Carol shirked back, wide-eyed but smiling.

"Uh, no thanks, Andrea," Carol said, waving her hands. She turned her attention to Daryl, who was already trying to avoid her gaze.

"Hi, Daryl," Carol said, sweetly.

"Carol," Daryl curtly nodded to her. He felt that surge of impatience he usually felt whenever Carol came around.

_She's a nice lady but what the hell does she want from me? _Daryl thought.

He abruptly turned away from her, took the skinned squirrel carcass from Andrea and mumbled to her that they should get back to work but Andrea went on talking to Carol.

As he picked up another squirrel to skin, he listened to the two women chat: about how Carol was holding up, how Beth was doing, if Maggie was still angry with Andrea, there is some tension with Rick and Shane.

"Did you know about Shane and Lori?" Daryl heard Andrea ask Carol. "Please tell me I wasn't the only one _not_ to know…"

Carol sighed. "Well, I figured something had been going on between them for awhile. Actually, when I first met Lori on the highway I really thought Shane was her husband…Anyway, he knows now…to leave Lori alone. She loves Rick and Shane's accepted that."

Daryl glanced up at Carol then and scoffed but not loud enough she could hear.

_Yeah right._ Daryl thought. _Keep telling yourself that, woman. _

Andrea went on saying something else and Daryl watched Carol listening, nodding her head and then she caught his eyes and smiled at him. Daryl quickly returned his attention back to his work.

"I just can't believe I never saw it before," Andrea said.

"He was really down but now he's better." Carol said of Shane. "He could use somebody to keep his mind off of Lori though. You and Shane should team up more often…you're both strong-willed, have strong personalities."

Daryl heard Andrea laugh at that comment and she said something like: "Yeah, I guess we are…Me and Shane are a little _too _much alike."

Eventually, the two women finished their conversation and Andrea returned over to where Daryl was.

"You didn't wanna talk to Carol?" Andrea asked him, casually as she went back to working on the fish.

Daryl grunted. "I said hi."

Andrea glanced over at him.

"Everything OK with you two?"

Daryl nodded his head but he didn't look up.

"Yep." He answered shortly. "As far as I know."

He finished the squirrel he was working on and then looked up at Andrea.

She was removing the scales from another fish and she looked over at him and smiled, warmly but didn't say anything more, only continued working.

Daryl resumed his work as well all the while thinking that was what he liked about Andrea: she didn't pester him like Carol does.


	6. Bouquet

**Thank you for all the reviews, favorites, and follows! :) This is a bit of a slow bulid romance but trust me, it will happen! **

Chapter Six: Bouquet

After dinner that night, Andrea went back to her tent. She was surprised to find a little slip of paper laying on her sleeping bag. She picked it up and in messy handwriting the note read:

_A - Meet me down by the fence post. - S. _

_Shane. _Andrea thought. _Wonder what he wants?_

Andrea walked down to the wooden fence post. Shane was already there, his back turned, leaning on the fence. When he heard footsteps approaching, Shane turned and smiled at Andrea but kept one hand behind his back.

Andrea walked up to him, curious, but smiling, eyeing his hidden hand.

"Whatcha got there?" Andrea asked.

Shane grinned wildly and showed her his hand that was holding a bouquet of wildflowers. It was a small arrangement but it was bursting with white and purple daises, sunflowers, calliopsis, and golden poppies.

Andrea's eyes widened and her mouth dropped. As she took the bouquet from Shane, Andrea asked:

"Shane…how did you get these? And why?" Andrea held the flowers up to her nose and inhaled the sweet scent.

"Had to go on a run earlier today," Shane explained. "Before I left, I asked Patricia where I could find some good flowers…you know, ones that aren't dead from not being taken care of. She told me where to find these…on the side of the highway…and that's where they came from, my dear."

Andrea lowered the bouquet and stared at Shane.

"You stopped on the side of the road to pick these for me?" She asked. "What if a walker came up and got you?"

Shane laughed. "Oh please, Andrea…Like I don't know how to handle a walker, jeez…but hey, if one did sneak up on me, at least I died picking flowers for a pretty lady."

With that, Shane reached over and wrapped one of Andrea's blonde curls around his finger. Andrea gave him a skeptical yet playful look.

"What's this about?" She asked.

Shane pretended to look hurt. "What? I can't give my girl some flowers?"

Andrea scoffed at that remark. "Since when I am your girl, Shane?" She laughed and without thinking said:

"Shouldn't these be for Lori?"

Immediately, Shane's face fell and he looked down at the ground. After a moment, he quietly asked:

"You know about that?"

Andrea nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed she spoiled Shane's good mood.

"Yeah," Andrea answered. "Daryl told me…but then Carol said you've been moving on?"

Shane snapped his head up then and flashed what seemed to be a put-on grin.

"Oh yeah," He answered, a little bit too assuredly. "I'm fine. Really, I am…It is what it is…Can't go back and change the past. I'm just glad I could be there for Lori and Carl…because you know, they mean a lot to me."

He paused for a second and then quickly added: "And Rick, too, of course."

"Uh-huh," Andrea muttered and nodded her head.

_He doesn't sound too entirely convinced he's over Lori…but whatever…_

"So," Shane said. "What I really wanted to do was apologize for the way I behaved the other night…I was little hammered."

Andrea smirked. "Yeah, I figured that much. It's OK, though. You still thinking about leaving the group?"

Shane shook his head. "Nah, that was just…crazy talk. I ain't goin' anywhere."

"What changed your mind?" Andrea asked.

Shane smugly smiled. "I'm lookin' at the reason right now."

Andrea laughed and rolled her eyes. She put her hand on her forehead and shook her head in disbelief.

"You are so full of shit, Shane," She told him, laughing.

She turned to start walking back to camp. "Thanks for the flowers, though!" She called over her shoulder, giving the bouquet a little shake in her hand.

Shane strode over to her and caught her hand to stop her.

"No, wait." He said. "I'm serious, Andrea. I wanna stay…and I want to stay because of you."

Andrea almost laughed again but when she saw the serious look in Shane's eyes, she was speechless.

_He's really not kidding…or is he? _She wondered.

Shane took Andrea's free hand and held it in his.

"I'm not askin' you to _marry_ me," Shane said. "I'm not askin' you to do anything right now but just think about it…you and me…me and you…we go together like a hand in a glove, don'tcha think so?"

Andrea opened her mouth to speak but Shane leaned in and kissed her so forcefully it took her off guard and made her drop the bouquet.

Andrea's first reaction was to push Shane away but as she felt his tongue in her mouth, she remembered that the man sure knew how to kiss.

_But I don't wanna lead him on… _She thought and broke the kiss. She wiped her mouth and could only stare at Shane speechless.

Shane stared at Andrea for a moment with longing eyes and then he said:

"Just think about it, Andrea."

And with that he bent down, picked up the bouquet, handed it to Andrea, and strode away.

Andrea was left standing there aghast, flowers in her hand, her lips still hot and wet from Shane's powerful kiss.

Andrea made a slow trek back to her tent, looking down at her feet as she walked, thinking about what she was going to about Shane.

_He can't be serious, can he? We hooked up one time and now he thinks we're made for each other?! He must be on the "rebound" from Lori…and I'm the only other chick around here close to his age…its funny how even when the world has come to an end; romantic problems still plague the human race…_

"Hey, Blondie. Where ya been?" An unmistakable drawl asked Andrea as she approached her tent.

She looked up to find Daryl standing there, looking happy to see her.

"Hi, Daryl," Andrea muttered, suddenly feeling too tired and too confused to talk to anyone else but managed to work up a smile.

"Hey, listen," Daryl began. "There's something I wanna show you," but then he trailed off as soon as he spotted the bouquet of flowers.

He raised an eyebrow. "Did ya go raid a flower shop or something?"

Andrea shook her head. "No, Shane gave these to me."

Daryl bristled at the mention of Shane.

"Oh, did he?" Daryl asked, shortly. "Well then, ain't that sweet."

Andrea didn't pick up Daryl's sudden mood change and she simply shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess so," She sighed. "He apologized for how he acted the other night. So, what did you wanna show me?"

Andrea felt a wave of exhaustion come over her and couldn't help letting a yawn escape.

Daryl only shook his head and his blue eyes flashed with resentment. He glared at Andrea as he said:

"Never mind…Sorry, I bugged ya."

Daryl began to hastily walk away to which Andrea turned and said:

"Wait, Daryl?! I'm sorry; I'm just tired. Maybe you can show me tomorrow?"

Daryl kept on walking and without looking back at her answered:

"Forget it. It's nothing. Sweet dreams, Blondie…and I'm happy you and Shane made up."


	7. Done

**Thanks again for reviewing, following and favoriting! :) Warning: This chapter might upset you, but don't worry...love will prevail! :p**

Chapter Seven: Done

Daryl was nowhere to be found the next day.

Andrea asked around and everybody seemed to be clueless; only suggesting that maybe he went out to hunt.

Andrea sat on watch with Dale on top of his RV.

"Something bothering you, kiddo?" Dale asked Andrea.

Andrea sighed and shook her head. "You wouldn't understand, Dale."

The old man turned in his chair and looked at Andrea, a warm smile on his face.

"Well, you don't that." Dale insisted. "Come on…Tell me what's going on?"

"Well, for starters…" Andrea began. "Shane's acting all crazy."

Dale laughed. "Ha! That ain't news, Andrea…Everybody knows Shane's crazy. What's he done this time?"

Andrea picked at her pants.

"He's being all…lovey-dovey to me. He gave me a bouquet of flowers…Said he wants to be with me."

"Really?!" Dale asked, surprised. "He actually told you that?"

Andrea shrugged. "Well, he didn't say it _exactly_ like that…He said: 'We go together like a hand in a glove.'…I think he's still hung up on losing Lori and just wants me to fill that void."

Dale thought for a moment and asked:

"Are you interested in Shane?"

Andrea quickly glanced up at Dale then, wide-eyed, surprised he would ask such a thing.

"No," Andrea stated. "I like him, yes. But only as a friend."

"Does he have any reason to think that you like him more than as a friend?"

Andrea pondered Dale's question and the thought of her and Shane together in the car came to mind.

_I can't tell Dale about that!_

"No," Andrea said, hating to lie to Dale but she wasn't in the mood to hear him scold her.

Dale returned his gaze back out over the farmland and he and Andrea sat there quietly for a few minutes.

"Andrea," Dale spoke, his eyes still on the land. "I'll be upfront with you: I don't like Shane. He's…he's changing and not for the better. I know you're gonna hate me for being all fatherly-figure right now but: you could do much better than Shane."

Andrea felt a grin creep slowly across her face.

_Daryl? _She thought and then remembered how upset he got over those flowers from Shane. _Is Daryl jealous of Shane? Why? _Andrea wondered.

Later that day, Andrea did find Daryl - sitting underneath a shade tree, cleaning and sharpening his knives.

"Hey," Andrea said softly to Daryl as she approached. He didn't even bother to look up.

"Can I help you?" He asked, edgy and sarcastic.

Andrea blinked in confusion at his tone and held up her hands in defense.

"I was just saying 'Hey'," She told him.

Daryl stopped sharpening his knives and glared up at her.

"Hey." He spat and returned his attention back to his work.

Andrea put her hands on her hips, bit her lip, and asked as patiently as she could:

"Is this a bad time, Daryl? Should I come back later?"

"Yep and nope," was Daryl only response to her two questions. Andrea could feel the irritation building up inside her but still tried to remain calm.

"Look, I'm sorry about last night," She explained. "But I had to go meet Shane and by the time I got back…I was really tired."

"He wore ya out, huh?" Daryl mumbled and when Andrea asked him what he said, he ignored her.

Andrea crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Daryl.

"OK, what crawled up your ass? Why are you being so mean?"

Daryl angrily threw his knife and sharpener down and hastily stood up.

"Leave me be, Blondie!" He exclaimed. "I don't wanna talk right now…why can't you get that through your pretty little dense skull?!"

He turned to walk away and Andrea heard him mumble: "Stupid bitch…"

_OK -THAT DOES IT! _She thought, worked up. She ran to catch up with him.

"Hey!" Andrea cried. "Hey, you! Dixon! Get back here…I'm talking to you!" She ran around in front of him and went he tried to go around her, she pushed him back. He flung her hands off him.

"Don't touch me!" Daryl spat. "Can't you take a hint, woman?! Get lost!"

Andrea wouldn't be put off.

"What the hell is your problem?!" She cried. "I swear to God, between you and Shane - I don't know which one is the moodier one…Next time Glenn makes a pharmacy run I'm gonna tell him to pick up some Pamprin and tampons for both of you…you're both about as bad a woman on the rag!"

Daryl angrily smirked and muttered:

"Yeah well, I'll tell Glenn to pick you up some penicillin."

Andrea's mouth dropped open.

"_Excuse me?!" _She demanded. "What did you just say?"

"You heard me, Blondie." Daryl said. "Why don'tcha go pester ya boyfriend, Shane…Maybe go take a _little car ride _with him."

The taunting way Daryl had said "little car ride" made Andrea remember the night drunken Shane had come on to her, mentioned their hook-up in the car, and how Daryl must have heard the whole thing.

He was starting to stride back to the tree he was sitting under but Andrea ran up to him.

"Hey!" She cried. "Get back here! I'm not done talking to you!"

"Yeah well, I'm DONE talkin' to you, woman!" Daryl shot back. "Screw off, bitch…Matter of fact: go screw your meathead."

Andrea had never felt so angry before in her life.

_Who the fuck does he think he is talking to me like that?!_

As Daryl walked up to the tree, Andrea ran up from behind him and angrily shoved him into the tree trunk. He turned to face her, blue eyes raging, hands balled into fists. Andrea didn't care. She was inches away from Daryl's nose as she spoke:

"First of all, I ain't some trailer trash broad that likes to be verbally abused and I ain't your mousy little Carol, neither! My name is Andrea. Got that, redneck?! It's not Blondie…it's not Bitch…and it's not Woman. ANDREA. So, all of this is about Shane, huh? Good god, Dixon, grow up! What do you care about me and Shane? What's it to you?"

"You're right…ANDREA," Daryl spat. "I don't care…it don't mean shit to me…You and Shane - have a nice life together…in fact, you deserve each other. I hope you enjoy being sloppy seconds."

Andrea could stare at Daryl in disgust for a moment.

"You think I'm a whore, don't you?" She asked him, quietly.

Daryl shrugged. "Your words; not mine." His face remained cold, angry.

Andrea scoffed and shook her head. She felt tears welling up on her eyes but refused to let Daryl see her cry.

"You know what?" She said. "Fine. OK, then…I'm a whore. I'm a woman that likes sex and I'm not afraid to say that I do either and…"

"Oh, spare me your femi-Nazi bullshit…" Daryl muttered but Andrea cut him off.

"Listen to me, damn it! It was one time…One-freaking-time, Daryl! Why, do you ask?! Because the oppurnity presented itself, that's why. FYI, the sex I had with Shane was the first sex I had in a long time even before all this shit went down. I've got needs, Daryl…just like anybody else. I don't even know why I'm explaining myself to you. I don't owe you shit, you don't own me and despite what you think - Shane doesn't own me either!"

Daryl angrily waved his arm out.

"Why don't you just go!" He cried. "Get out of my face; I'm done."

"Oh, I'm going…" Andrea assured him. "You can bet your ass I'm going…I'm done with you too. But know this first, Daryl: You can be really cool at times…I mean like, really, really cool. And other times you're a real prick, you know that?! And you bitch and moan about how nobody respects you…ya ever think that if you started to show some respect; you'd might get some in return?!"

This time Andrea was the one to walk away leaving Daryl speechless.


	8. Thoughts

**Thank you for the reviews, favorites and follows! :)**

Chapter Eight: Thoughts

_Well, I sure as hell fucked up didn't I?_

Daryl was laying in his sleeping bag inside his tent that night, thinking about his fight with Andrea.

_She's right…I am a prick at times…I don't know why I'm like that…always have been…I don't know why I got so upset…Andrea was right: she doesn't owe me an explanation…it's not like she's my girlfriend or something…it's not like she's cheating on me…but I feel like she is even though she's not…_

_Shane…stupid, meathead Shane…I know I'm better than him…sure, he was cop, big damn deal…can he use a crossbow? Can he track a deer? Can he skin a squirrel? No. All he knows how to do is run his mouth and fire that glock of his…but I can't compete with him…he's like the high school jock, the big-man-on-campus, the guy all the girls want…and I'm just a dirty redneck…what would a college educated city-girl lawyer want with a good ole boy like me? What did she say about Carol? "Your mousy little Carol"? "Your?!" Does she really think Carol is my woman?! _

Daryl rolled over on his side and continued to think.

_Andrea…the chick has definitely got a pair; that's for sure…she ain't afraid to speak her mind…she ain't afraid to tell it like it is…she sure isn't scared of me, most people are…_

He thought about how she confronted him, actually got in his face and yelled at him, and how even more attractive it made her look.

_Blonde hair whipping all around her face…green eyes on fire…her nose all crunched up…telling me off…calling me a prick to my face…puttin' me in my place…god, that woman is…hot! Not to mention…she does have a pretty nice looking body…god, if I wasn't so screwy with women…if I wasn't so awkward…god, I'd love to lay her down…kiss her all over her face…down her neck…yeah…from what I remember girls really like the kissing on the neck stuff…work my way down…very slowly…draw it out…drive her crazy…drive ME crazy!_

Daryl felt himself getting stirred from the erotic thoughts and he looked down at himself and saw the stiffness in his pants.

_Oh good god…I've got a freakin' hard-on…I'm like a sixteen year old boy…all horny and shit…well, only one way to relieve myself…_

Daryl put his hand down the front of his pants and as soon as he wrapped his hand around his erection, a voice spoke from outside his tent:

"Daryl? You in there? Can I come in?"

It was Carol and she was already opening the tent flap, sticking her head inside and Daryl about jumped out of his skin.

"Jesus Christ, Carol!" He cried, immediately removing his hand from his pants and quickly sitting up, taking his pillow and placing it over his lap, trying to look calm. Carol stared at him, wide-eyed and surprised at his abrupt jumpiness.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Carol said.

Daryl loudly exhaled when he realized he had been holding his breath.

"Just give me a little bit more warning next time," Daryl said. "What's up?"

Carol stepped inside the tent and sat on the edge of Daryl's sleeping bag. He shifted uncomfortably, keeping the pillow over his lap, hoping she wouldn't suspect why he had it there.

"Nothing's really up," Carol said. "I just wanted to check on you. Haven't seen much of you today. How you been?"

"I'm fine. And you?" Daryl asked.

"I'm…" Carol trailed off, seemed to be looking for the right words. "I'm…hanging in there."

Daryl chuckled. "Yeah, aren't we all?"

Carol smiled and nodded. "Yeah,"

There was a moment of awkward silence that hung in the air. Daryl fidgeted in his sleeping bag and Carol began to pick at her nails.

"So…you were teaching Andrea how to skin squirrels?" Carol said, still examining her fingernails. "Did she learn well?"

Daryl nodded. "Uh-huh. It's pretty easy to do."

The mention of Andrea made him think of their verbal spat and how foolish he acted toward her.

"Maybe you could show me how sometime?" Carol prompted, hopefully.

"Yeah sure," Daryl answered, half-heartedly. "Or now that Andrea knows how, maybe she could show you. I'm sure she'd be happy to."

Carol patted his legs. "Yeah but you're the expert. I'd wanna learn from the best."

Carol hesitated and then softly asked:

"You and Andrea have been…hanging out together a lot lately?"

Daryl gave Carol a quizzical look. "Well…yeah…I mean, sort of…It's not like we're best buddies or anything."

_Especially after what happened today. _He thought, sadly.

"I'm not around her anymore or less than I am with anybody else." Daryl added. "Why?"

Carol shrugged and ran her hand through her short gray hair.

"Oh, no reason." She said. "I was just curious. I think she really likes Shane; dontcha think?"

Daryl bristled at the mention of Shane and felt his face turn red but he tried to remain as calm as possible.

"I'm not really into gossip, Carol," He began, but she interrupted him.

"No, no," She waved him off. "It's not gossip,"

"How do you know?" Daryl asked, a little too quickly and sounding a little more interested then he wanted to let on. He cleared his throat and said:

"I mean…Did Andrea tell you that?"

"Well…no," Carol answered. "But I can tell that she does."

"Well, no offense, Carol, but I really don't care about those kind of things…relationship stuff…it's all just a bunch of unnecessary drama." Daryl answered, truthfully, trying to be cool and nonchalant although he couldn't get Andrea out of his mind.

"Oh, trust me, Daryl," Carol smiled and nodded. "I know all about relationship drama. Thanks to my years with Ed."

Daryl nodded. "It's good to be drama-free," He said all the while remembering the drama he just had with a certain blonde.

Carol stood up and walked over to where Daryl lay. She bent over a placed a kiss on his forehead, once again taking him by surprise.

_I really wish she wouldn't do that…_

He thought and almost considered telling her but wasn't in the mood to have to deal with another potentially pissed off woman.

"Goodnight, Daryl," Carol said and as she turned to leave, she eyed the pillow over Daryl's lap.

"You like to sleep with a pillow between your legs?"

Daryl felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment and couldn't help but stutter:

"Uh…yeah…It, uh,..it, um…helps, you know, with my back…yeah, helps keep my back straight..you know, oh, what's that word -"

"Aligned?" Carol suggested and Daryl snapped his fingers.

"Yes!" He said. "That's it. It helps keep my back aligned."

He wanted to kick himself for how stupid he was sounding but Carol only nodded and smiled.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I used to have a leg pillow too. Goodnight, Daryl."

"Night, Carol!" Daryl squeaked and finally the widow left his tent. He breathed a sigh of relief as he flopped back down on his sleeping bag.


	9. Friends

Chapter Nine: Friends?

A week had passed since their fight.

Andrea hadn't seen much of Daryl since then and she kept herself busy around the farm. Shane kept hounding her but each time she blew him off saying she needed more time. All the while, whenever Andrea did see Daryl, Carol was always lingering around and that made it impossible to speak to him in private.

_I feel like shit…_Andrea thought.

_I feel worse than I did when I accidentally shot him! There comes that feeling again…that I'm a miserable failure feeling…I can't do anything right feeling…I screw up everything I touch…but I gotta fix this…_

One day, Andrea worked up the nerve to go to Daryl's tent. She had a three squirrels she had managed to hunt and skin. She found Daryl sitting outside his tent, tinkering with his crossbow. He looked up as he saw her approach and raised an eyebrow at her squirrel carcasses.

"What's up with those?" He asked as she stood in front of him.

Andrea held them out for Daryl to take as she spoke:

"They're kind of…like a gift…For you."

Daryl chuckled. "Aw, you shouldn't have," He teased and Andrea smiled and shrugged.

"Why only three?" He asked as she sat down next to him.

Andrea scoffed. "Hey, I worked my butt off trying to get those bushy-tailed rodents."

"Three is just a snack, girl." Daryl commented. "What did you use to kill 'em?"

"My rifle with the scope," Andrea said.

Daryl glanced over at her. "You went out by yourself? Firing off rifle rounds? You could of brought walkers down all round you."

Andrea shook her head. "Don't worry. I went out far enough away from here. Didn't have any problems, surprisingly."

"Yeah but the point is, you went out alone. By yourself. You know nobody's supposed to do that."

"But you do it all the time, Daryl." Andrea pointed out.

"'Drea…it's different when it comes to me. I know what I'm doing."

Andrea narrowed her eyes at him then and he quickly added:

"Not that you're stupid…I just meant -"

"It's OK, Daryl!" Andrea laughed. "I know what you mean. I'm sorry; I won't do it again."

"All right then," Daryl said and focused his attention back to his crossbow.

Andrea sighed and wondered how she should begin her apology. She was about to open her mouth but Daryl beat her:

"Listen, Andrea…" He began, still looking down at his weapon. "About what happened…about what I said…I'm sorry."

"No!" Andrea exclaimed and gave Daryl a playful shove. "I wanted to apologize first! That's why I came over here…That's why I got those squirrels for you…"

Daryl looked up and his serious gaze made her stop talking.

"Why are _you _apologizing?" He asked. "Everything you said was true. I am a prick at times…I act like a spoiled teenage brat at times, trust me, I know. I…I don't know why I got so upset. It's none of my business…what you do. Or what goes on between you and Shane. And I'm sorry for all the names I called you, too…I gotta big mouth but I guess you already know that."

Andrea couldn't help but smile. "Aw, Daryl. But I am sorry too. For yelling at you and going berserk like I did."

Daryl smiled. "Friends?" He asked, offering her his hand.

Andrea looked at it and smiled.

"Friends," She said, and they shook on it.

_But could we be more?_

Andrea almost wanted to ask but didn't.

"There's nothing going on between me and Shane." Andrea said and Daryl gave her a curious glance but didn't respond.

"I mean, there was that one time. And that was it…but here lately, he's been all over me. Trying to get with me…it's frustrating to say the least."

Andrea paused then and watched Daryl with his crossbow and then she shook her head.

"I'm sorry; you probably don't really care…"

"No, no," Daryl answered. "It's alright. You can tell me. After all, we're friends now, right?"

Andrea grinned and nodded. "Right."

"Carol told me that you really like Shane," Daryl said then and Andrea was immediately confused.

"Carol said that?" She asked, wrinkling her brow. "When did she say that?"

"About a week ago," Daryl replied. "She's always coming around my tent. You talk about frustrating…"

Andrea heard Daryl but didn't respond. She was wrapped up in her own thoughts.

_Why would Carol be talking to Daryl about me and Shane? Did Shane tell her about our hook-up? I don't ever see the two of them really talking to each other…it would be kind of weird if Shane was talking to Carol about me._

Andrea then thought of when Daryl taught her how to skin squirrels and how Carol had walked up.

_Oh my god…Carol was talking about Shane then, too! She was saying we should "team up more" and that we have similar personalities…And then she's always hanging around Daryl…_

Andrea glanced over at Daryl then who was now fixing one of his bolts.

_Carol totally wants Daryl! She's trying to be subtle but it's clear as day now…and she's been trying to steer me back toward Shane… trying to get Daryl to think I like Shane…but does Daryl like Carol? The way he talks…it sounds like he gets annoyed with her…but that could be just his way of hiding how he really feels…I gotta ask him…_

"Hey, Daryl?" Andrea said, not sure how the question would go over.

"Mmm?" He mumbled, still concentrating on his work.

"Can I ask you something?" Andrea stalled, fearing what his answer would be and if he'd tell the truth or not and if she really wanted to know the truth.

"Mmm?" He looked up at her.

"It's kind of…a random question…but, uh,..do you -"

"Hey, Daryl!" A voice called out that made both Andrea and Daryl look over to see who it was. It was Glenn coming their way. He saw Andrea and smiled her direction.

"Oh, hey, Andrea." Glenn said and looked at Daryl. "Daryl, you got a minute? Rick and I could really use your help with something."

"Yeah, sure," Daryl said, standing up. He looked down at Andrea.

"What were you saying?"

Andrea smiled and waved him off. "Never mind." She told him. "It's not important."

"OK," Daryl answered. He leaned down and whispered to Andrea:

"Hey, meet back here tonight. After dinner, OK?"

But he didn't wait for a response and Andrea watched Daryl walk away with Glenn, looking forward to the night.


End file.
